Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of a tragic alcohol-related accident so horrific it made several first responders question their choice of vocation.

On the night of Nov. 24, 1987, Maria D. Ramirez, 21, had just finished her shift at the Wendy’s restaurant. A Roswell newcomer, she had just moved from Cotton City to work and attend beauty school.

“She had come … to have a better life, to help her parents,” said KC Rogers, a retired state police officer. Ramirez was his sister-in-law.

Ramirez never made it home that night. While driving, the passenger side of her car was hit by a drunk driver who was later determined to be going no less than 85 mph. The accident caused Ramirez to be ejected from her car. Her vehicle also flew. Both crashed against the wall of a building.

Afterward, Rogers said, paramedics approached him and said it had been one of the worst accidents they had responded to.

“It made them question if that was the line of work they wanted to be in,” Rogers said. Now involved Login to read more